Timepiece movement with a jumping second-beating hand



Oct. 16, 1956 F, A. ROBERT-CHARRUE 2,766,573

TIMEPIECE MOVEMENT WITH A JUMPING sECOND-BEATING HAND Filed May 18, 1954 INVENTOR FRITZ ANDRE RUBERT-CHHRRUE ATTORNEY United States Patent TIMEPIECE MOVEMENT WITH A JUMPING SECOND-BEATING HAND Fritz Andr Robert-Charrue, Le Locle, Switzerland, as-

The present invention relates to a timepiece movement with a jumping second-beating hand, i. e. in which the second hand is advanced one division at a time by an instantaneous mechanism.

The timepiece movement according to the invention is characterized in that it comprises a wheel loosely mounted on the spindle of the fourth wheel and connected to this spindle by means of an elastic member, this wheel driving a star wheel the arms of which cooperate with a stop pinion rigidly fixed to the escape pinion, the arrangement being such that when the timepiece movement is running, the elastic member is bent when an arm of the star wheel bears against the stop pinion, whereas upon releasing of this arm, which occurs at every second, the elastic member imparts to the said loose wheel a sudden rotation to be transmitted to the second hand.

An embodiment of the invention will now be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a timepiece movement constructed in accordance with the invention, seen from the side of the bridges of the movement.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line IIII of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing there is shown a timepiece movement in accordance with the invention. In this construction the second hand is advanced one division, i. e. six degrees on the dial, at a time by an instantaneous mechanism.

The timepiece movement comprises a fourth wheel 1 belonging to the normal train of gears. The wheel 1 is rigidly fixed to a spindle 2 which is pivoted in the pillarplate 3 and in the train wheel bridge 4. The fourth wheel 1 meshes in a conventional manner with the escape pinion S rigidly fixed to the escape wheel 6. The runner 5, 6 is rigidly fixed to a spindle 7 pivoted in the pillarlate 3 and in an auxiliary bridge 8.

In accordance with the invention, a wheel 9 is loosely mounted on the spindle 2 of the fourth wheel 1. The wheel 9 is connected with the spindle 2 by means of an elastic member. The latter is here formed by a spring leaf 10 an end of which is fixed by means of a pin 11 to a collet 12 fitted on the spindle 2. The other end of the spring 10 bears on a pin 13 fixed to the wheel 9. The wheel 9 is held in axial direction on one hand by the collet 12 and on the other hand by a collar 14 fixed to the spindle 2.

The wheel 9 meshes with a pinion 15 rigidly fixed to a star wheel 16. The spindle 17 of the pinion 15 is pivoted in the train wheel bridge 4 and in a supplementary bridge 18. The wheel 16 presents a plurality of arms ending in pins 19 adapted to cooperate, as explained below, with a stop pinion 20 fixed to an extension 21 of the spindle 7.

The wheel 9 meshes in addition with an intermediate wheel 22 which in turn engages a wheel 23 freely pivoted at the center of the movement. The Wheel 23 is oriented by means of a jumper 24 fixed to a stationary part 25 of the movement. A second hand 26 is fixed to the wheel 23.

The mechanism as shown and described operates as follows:

When the timepiece movement is running, the fourth wheel 1 drives the escape pinion 5 in the usual manner. Therefore, the spindle 2 and the stop pinion 20 each rotate regularly, for instance at every fifth of a second, this movement being regulated by the conventional escapement. When an arm of the star wheel 16 bears, as shown in the drawing, by means of its pin 19 against the stop pinion 20 during Vs of a second, the spring 10 is bent up to the moment, i. e. up to the last fifth of a second, when the stop pinion 2t), driven by the escape wheel 6, releases the said arm. Therefore, the spring 10 can impart to the wheel 9 a sudden rotation which is transmitted to the jumping second-beating hand 26 through the wheels 22 and 23. It is to be understood that during the first /5 of a second, the star wheel 16 is turned by a small angle, but this rotation is absorbed by the clearance of the gears and does not influence the other wheels. The gears of the mechanism are chosen such that the second hand 26 is rotated by six degrees every second.

According to a modification, the wheels 22 and 23 might be dispensed with, a second hand being then fixed to the wheel 9.

While the invention has been described and illustrated with reference to a specific embodiment thereof, it will be understood that other embodiments may be resorted to without departing from the invention. Therefore, the form of the invention set out above should be considered as illustrative and not as limiting the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A timepiece movement with a jumping seconds-beating hand, comprising in combination, a fourth wheel and an escape pinion belonging to the conventional gear train of the movement, the fourth wheel in mesh with the escape pinion, a wheel loosely mounted on the spindle of the said fourth wheel, a stop carried by the said loose wheel, an intermediate wheel in mesh with the said loose wheel, a center wheel in mesh with the said intermediate wheel, a seconds hand carried by the said center wheel, a spring leaf an end of which is fixed to the spindle of the said fourth wheel and the other end bears against the stop carried by the said loose wheel, a star wheel having a plurality of arms, a pinion rigidly fixed to the said star wheel, the said pinion in mesh with the said loose Wheel, a stop pinion secured to the spindle of the said escape pinion, the arms of the said star wheel ending in pins cooperating with the said stop pinion, whereby the said spring leaf is tensionecl when an arm of the said star wheel bears against a tooth of the said stop pinion, whereas upon releasing of this arm, which occurs at every second, the spring leaf imparts to the said loose wheel a sudden rotation, this rotation being transmitted through the said intermediate wheel to the said center wheel carrying the seconds hand.

2. A timepiece movement with a jumping secondsbeating hand, comprising in combination, a fourth wheel and an escape pinion belonging to the conventional gear train of the movement, the fourth wheel in mesh with the escape pinion, a wheel loosely mounted on the spindle of the said fourth wheel, a stop carried by the said loose wheel, a seconds hand operatively connected with the said loose wheel, spring leaf end of which is fixed to the spindle of the said fourth wheel and the other end bears against the stop carried by the said loose Wheel, a star wheel having a plurality of arms, a pinion rigidly fixed to the said star wheel, the pinion in mesh with the said loose wheel, a stop pinion secured to the spindle of the said escape pinion, the arms of the said star wheel ending in pins cooperating with the said stop pinion, whereby the said spring leaf is tensioned when an arm of the said star wheel bears against a tooth of the said stop pinion, whereas upon releasing of this arm, which occurs at every second, the spring leaf imparts to the said loose wheel a sudden rotation, this rotation being transmitted to the said seconds hand.

3. A timepiece movement with a jumping secondsbeating hand, comprising in combination, a fourth Wheel and an escape pinion belonging to the conventional gear train of the movement, the fourth wheel in mesh with the escape pinion, a wheel loosely mounted on the spindle of the said fourth wheel, a stop carried by the said loose wheel, 2. seconds hand operatively connected with the said loose Wheel, an elastic member connecting the said loose wheel with the spindle of the said fourth wheel, a star wheel having a plurality of arms, a pinion rigidly fixed to the said star wheel, the pinion in mesh with the said loose wheel, a stop pinion secured to the spindle of the said escape pinion, the arms of the said star wheel ending in pins cooperating with the said stop pinion, whereby the said elastic member is tensioned when an arm of the said star wheel bears against a tooth of the said stop pinion, whereas upon releasing of this arm, which occurs at every second, the elastic member imparts to the said loose wheel a sudden rotation, this rotation being transmitted to the said seconds hand.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Dec. 8, 1948 

